In the Upper Canada of the 1820s, with simple tools but consummate skill and artistry, a small community known as the Children of Peace crafted a dramatic architectural testament to its vision of a society founded on the values of peace, equality and social justice.

This plain folk of former Quakers led the country’s first farmers’ co-operative, built its first shelter for the homeless, and played a key role in the development of democracy by ensuring the elections of William Lyon Mackenzie, and both fathers of responsible government – Robert Baldwin and Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine – in the formative years before Canadian confederation.

The Temple of the Children of Peace in the village of Sharon – with its Ark of the Covenant, inspirational Banners, Pipe and Barrel Organs and Jacob’s Ladder – was completed in 1832. It lives on as the centerpiece of the Sharon Temple National Historic Site, which encompasses nine historic buildings in a park setting.

The architectural elements of the Temple combine to express a singular religious vision of the most striking beauty. Its three tiers, four-fold symmetry, lanterns and pinnacles all take their inspiration from the Bible. Jacob’s Ladder, a gently curved staircase, leads to the musicians’ gallery above. Its three stories represent the Trinity. The four central pillars even bear names: Faith, Hope, Love and Charity.

Known for their pageantry, the Children of Peace integrated a unique social vision with distinctive artistic and architectural works and an unparalleled musical tradition: they formed the first civilian band in Canada and commissioned the first organ built in Ontario.

Leader David Willson’s Study of 1829, a smaller architectural gem, echoes the form of a vanished meetinghouse. The Ebenezer Doan house of 1819, constructed by the Temple’s master-builder and relocated from the former Doan family farm nearby, has been restored in an early garden setting. And do not miss another of David Willson’s architectural curiosities – the round outhouse.